When shooting new girls, directors often book experienced male performers as stabilizing influences. The best guys work a lot and often find themselves on the "yes" lists of top female models. Nevertheless, a girl's boundaries are sometimes violated in the heat of shooting and the boys may not even realize they've stepped over the line. How can this be avoided?

The highly respected Derrick Pierce relies on two things. First, the shooting limits enumerated by the company let him know what they will not film and second, he knows the preferences of girls he has worked with previously.

New girls and performers unknown to him are another matter. They require preparation. "Typically what I do, especially with a girl I'm not that familiar with, is say something pretty simple like, 'what are you cool with, what are you not cool with.'"

Once she sets her boundaries, Derrick lets her know what to do if she becomes uncomfortable. "If there is anything that you don't like and you want to stop, just give me a couple of hard squeezes on the leg or the arm and I'll adjust it. We can keep going and you don't have to say, 'that's too much.'"

Reflecting on his experiences, the former marital arts instructor explains. "I err on the side of caution. I'd much rather female talent walk away from a shoot thinking, 'I probably could have done more' than 'whoa, that was way too much.'"

When dealing with newcomers, the men may have to guide a girl's response especially if she is hazy in her answers. "You have to kind of lead them," Derrick says, "because they don't know the full spectrum of what 'I'm okay with everything' means."

"It's your job to help those girls out because they are not familiar [with the shooting environment]. I take responsibility for the female talent the second we step on set even if a director may or may not say something." Dealing with a model he doesn't know means treading lightly. Go easy the first time then later when she is more comfortable, she might want to go harder. When that happens, "now we have rapport," Derrick says with a smile.

Russian performer Marcus Bay, who is presently shooting in the states, concedes that some guys do things to girls "for no reason" like punch or bite them. He is more respectful and in the manner of other top male performers, takes time to get to know his partner before they are on camera. Every girl is different and Marcus finds something in each one that turns her on. This prompts him to help her through the scene, especially if she is a newbie.

Twenty-seven-year-old Californian, Chad White, also meets with his co-star before filming begins. He reads her body language to gauge her mood. "I'll walk straight up to her, try to give her a big hug, and say 'hi,'" Chad says. "If she shies away or gives you a half-hearted hug," that reluctance will show up in the scene. On the other hand, "if the girl's into it, if she's sexual, if she tries to touch me a little bit, that's good."

However, Chad says, "brand new girls don't know what they are doing." His job then becomes exploratory. "Get them in the mood" for whatever they like.

The eight-year veteran divides girls into two groups. Some are there for the sex, others for the paycheck. But what is most disappointing is reticence. "For girls who don't want to be there [at all], you can tell nothing's going to change it," he remarks. In those cases, they are facing a reality check. "You're going to have an uncomfortable time on set [and] do stuff you don't want to do"

Finally Chad White offers the harshest of all realities. "Some girls jump into the business and do everything, then they regret it [and] want to get out."

So, for them the business did not turn out to be what they expected?

"Absolutely. They think they're going to have stardom... the Hollywood lifestyle is bombarding them from all directions. Girls are like, 'now I'm in the spotlight. I'm in front of a camera.' Five years down the line she thinks, 'what the hell did I do?'"

Might these feelings reflect on what consent means and how it is perceived, especially outside the industry?

We'll address that question in our conclusion coming next.

###

Watch for Part Seven of this seven-part series coming tomorrow! Previous parts of this series are linked in the Related Stories box in the top right of this page.

About Rich Moreland

Rich Moreland is an adjunct professor of history at Frederick Community College in Maryland (USA) and writer in the adult film industry. His column appears online at Adult Industry News (AINews.com) out of Los Angeles. Rich's blog (3hattergrindhouse.com) covers relevant issues, film and book reviews and interviews with industry people.
A Washington, DC metro area resident, Rich has a bachelor's degree from The Pennsylvania State University and a Master's degree from Salisbury University. He finished post-masters work at the University of Maryland with Advanced Graduate Specialist recognition. He is a lifelong educator and a former competitive triathlete.

For a concise history of feminism in adult entertainment get Rich Moreland's book "Pornography Feminism: As Powerful as She Wants to Be" linked above.

All materials constituting text, articles, press releases, stories, columns, photographs, graphics, and code on the AINews.com domain are protected by copyright, and either owned by Adult Industry News (AINews.com), or reproduced with permission from other copyright owners. It may be downloaded and printed for personal reference, but not otherwise copied, altered in any way, or transmitted to others, without the written permission of Adult Industry News (AINews.com).